Alfalfa-reducing machine.



L. W. THOMPSON. LFLFA REDUUNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION rum) SEPT. 1B, 1907.

L. W, THMPSON.

ALALFA REDUGING MACHINE,

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. la. 1901.

mme@ Apr. 20, 1909. d BSH-Fl 'JS-SHEET 3.

if] liza/@iz fof "QW/UQ.; M @027356032 Tn sra'rns LEWIS W. THOMPSON,

OF OSBORNE, KANSAS' ALFALFA-REDUCING MACHINE.

' Application filed September To all 'whom 'it may concern:

' Be it known that l, Lewis 'vl'.

a citizen of the United States, residing at-OsborneI in the county of Osborne and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful linprovemenfs in Alfalfa-Reducing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to alfalfa reducing machines and particularly to that class therevof for grinding or disintegrating alfalfa hay into meal, the apparatus being portable so that it can be easily moved from place to place.

rThe object of the invention it to provide a mill of the character set forth which is efl'ective in action and .by which the material is rapidly, thoroughly, and uniformly disintegrated without waste.

; Q In the drawings accompanying and forining a part of this specification I-have shown in detail one form' of embodiment of the invention which, to enable those skilled in the alt to ractice the same, will be set forth in detail 1n the following descri tion, while the novelty' f the-invention wi be included in the claims succeeding said description.

Referring to-said drawings: Figure. 1 is a vside elevation of a mill involving my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view `3 0 of the rear ortion of the same. Fig. 3 is a lngitudina sectional elevation of the disin` tegQting cylinder, cooperating screen, and certain adjacent parts. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation ol.- the mill. Fig. 5 is adctail view on an -enlargedcale of a disintegrating tooth. fl `ig. 16 is a view on-a similar scale of said tooth as legen froinbelow in said Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a deta `new in perspective of one of the inemberswhich sha e the screen and to which the la flatter is detac lably connected. Fig. S-is a I; similar view of a portion ofthe screen and a bar attached thereto. -Like characters refer to like parts througle out the several figures of the drawings.

Itis my custom to mount the various parts of the mill upon a. suitable vehicle, such as that denoted in ageneral way by 2 in Fig. 1, whereby the mill ean be readily transportml. 'The vehicle 2 involves in its malte-u p a body as 3 and upon this body is' mounted a. suitable. casing as 4 which contains a disintegrat ing cylinder and a coperating screen hereinafter particularly described, which inkl-cnjunction grind or disintegrate the pieces or '-fragments of alfalfa into powder, granular, or mallfoi'm. The. easing 4, which may be Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

1s, 1907. serial No. 393,482.

clined feed-board .as 8 the which rests on the rear end of said concave, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The shaft of the cylinder 7 is denoted' by 9 and it is supported by suitable bearings upon thefraniing 1U rising from and suitably fastened to the bod 3, said framing being a delivery end of lso. connected wit 1 the casing or housing'lt (see F' ple). The feed-board 8 to which I have previously referred is connected suitably with said framing 10. To oneendof the shaft 9 is fastened a suitably driven member such as the ulley 11,` and I will hereinafter lset forth tlie means shown for rotating this pulley.

lVithin the casing 4 and'suitabiy attached l to the-sides thereof are two duplicate nicmers, such as those designated eachin a gelb eral way by 12 (see Fig. 7 where one oli-said members 12 is shown in detnil). l will describe the member.y 12 shownin said Fig. 7 and this will apply to the other one, .-is'the).r are of duplicate construriion. i preferito make said member 12 in the form of a cast late and in the present case it consists of a ower section as 13 and a-iflupper section as 14 adapted to fit edge to edge, the lower scetion 13 having along its upper edge substautially angular projections as 15 adapt-ed to fit correspondiilgly-shaped notches in the l lower edge of the prevent relative. movement ofthe two parts. The-.said members 13 and'14 have smul-cil cular apertures eat-.hdenoted by 16 and which areadapted to register or mate to forni a circular opening. Said sections 1.3 and 14 are furtherprovided with inwardlyfexteuding marginal curved flanges as 1.7 and 18, which, when said sections are in engagement, present substantially a continuous flange, the adjacent ends of said two flanges 17 and 18 at this time being in solid abutment. The flange 17 is practically circular, 'While the lower portion of the flange 18 is circular, the upper part of said flange 18 being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from theciropening -as 5 through.

ically and being directed thereinto by an in- 1g. 1 for exam-- being supplied to the cylinupper section to' thereby a; Y classe :material froin cular part thereof. rlhe llange 17 and circular part of the flange 1S with similar {langeson the othernienilnir 12 shape the screen 19 into -the desired curved forni, the lateral portions ol the screen orerlyingr the outer faces of the several flanges. One end ol the screen 19 is connected as by screws, bolts, or in any other desirable manner, with a cross-bar as 2O which may be oi' wood or metal and the ends of which are adapted Yto be dro pcd into slots as 21 in the upper ends o' the llanges V. the screen 19 is dctachably connected with the members-1 2. ol` the sizreen is suitably connected a strip as 22 (see Fig. 2 for example) and this strip may be ol" wood or metal and it has connected therewith the eye of an eye-bolt as 23, the shanli of which is passed through the substantially upright lange of an angle-bar as 24 fastened to the upper inclined portions of the flanges '18.V The pla-te 2.5, preferably made of sheet iron, is fastened in sonic suit able way to the under side of the transverse board 26 extending between Iand suitably fastened to the sides of the casing 4. Said plate 25 serves as a guard to preventthe assing out over the top .of the screen 19W lere the bolts 23 are located. The `threaded portion of thebolt 23 is einbracecl by a nut as 27 by turning which the tension of the metal screen 19 may be regle lated, it being understood that for this urose the nut 27 engao'es against the Xed liar 24. There niay be if desired several .longitudinally adjustable bolts' 23.

o the forward or inner end of the concave (i there is suitably fastened an inclined apron as 28 which extends downwardly to the bar 20 and which prevents the partially ground material from passing downward through the space between said concave 6 and bar 20. 'lhisfapron 28 stands at a suitable inclination and it accurately guides the material onto the screen 19. The screen 19, as will be ap- Barent, is removably mounted so that it can e taken from place and one of a different mesh introduced in its stead whereby the grade of the meal can be readily governed.'

The disintegrating cylinder is designated by 29 and it consists preferably of .a steel tube of desired diameter rovided with endplates or disks as 3U of cuplicate construction, the end-plates or disks 30 having annular anges as 31 preferably bolted to the cylinder or tube 29. The end lates or disks 30 have outwardly-extending nubs as 32 keyed lfroin this it will be clear thatf 'lo the other or upper end' .tially coincident with the inlet 5 so as to provide for the proper entrance of the .material onto the cylinder -29 fronrtlre cylinder 7 and concave G and also onto the screen 19. The

cylinder 29 is irovided with circumferential 70 teeth of any lesired number, such as that designated 1n a general way by 34 (see Fig. 5.) The tooth 34 includes in its make-u -a square body as 35 from which the externa l thi eaded stein 36 extends inward, said stem 75 36 being tapped 'intoan interiorly threaded opening in the cylinder 29, as shown clearly in Fir. 2. 'l'hese teeth 34 are arranged in rou's ongitudinally of the cylinder 29 ":the

tee-th of each row being staggered with respect to the teeth of rows at o posite sides of thesaine, as indicated clear y in Fig.- 3,V i

by ineans of which said teeth occupy the entire circumference of the cylinder so that' there will be no annular s ace or passage be- A line of feed of thematerial so asto facilitate the cutting up or disintegration of the broken up alfalfa resting on the screen 19 and car 95 ried therearound by the cylinder .29. Y

' It will be clear that said cylinder 29 is provided with means for positively cutting u stock or material on the screen 19, althoug i there is a conjoint .action ,between the two which results iny the thorough grinding" of such stock or material. The shaft 33 is supported 'by suitable bearins on the framingrl 1.0 and it 1s shown as provvfied with a ulley 4() (see Fig. 1). 105

The main s raft of the a paratus'is'desig-V nated by 41 and is rovi ed with afpulley 42 around which the elt43 from a suitable motor (not shown) .is adapted to pass', so

that when said motor, is 1n operation, the 11'0 shaft 41 will be rotated. Said shaft'41 hasl fastened thereto a pulley or band-whehas:

' .44 and the frarnin 10 is shown as arrying' at a point forwar of the shaft 41 an. idler pulley as 45. A belt as 46 ,ispassed around 115 the several pulleys 11, 40, 44jand 45'so as to rotate the samein the direction ofthe arrows in Fig. 1 when the shaft 41 is turned in the 1pro er direction by the belt 4 3. The

pu leys 11, 40, 44, and 45 are shown 120 severa clearly m 1 as being on one'lside o f the apparatus; they may, as indicated in Fig. 4, be repeated at the opposite side 'of said a paratus so as to insure a balanced sten( y movement of the respective shafts to whic they are connected.

It will be assumed that the two cylinders 7 and 29 are beingrotatled and that' alfalfa' hay is being delivered onto the feedboard 8.

y This hay passes from the feedfboard intolthe In the present 9c case the opposite corners of the square bodies 35 and ribbed 'portions`37 are located inthe.

' the screen 19.

acting as a `guard, directs such articles thus ing through the screen 19 )asses onto the i rajtihv c linder and a screen and an in- ,19 and, as the cylinder 29 rotates, the fragments are carried around and in contact .ineal form and, when the same is suiiciently in size as topass through the meshes of said of the disintegrated material through t space between the cylinder 7 vand concave 6 and is broken up into small fragments bythe conjint action thereof. The alfalfa fragments are moved forward toward and ontov the apron 28 and through the inlet 5 by the rotary movement of the cylinder 7, and such fragments fall onto the cylinder 29 and screen with the screen, the outer ends of the teeth crpins 34 being adjacent to the screen for purpose. The toothed cylinder Z9 breaks up these fragments i-nto granular or reduced, it drops-through the openin s in The partially groun( up alfalfa pieces are carried around by the cylinder .29 until they are sufficiently small screen. The apron 28 prevents the escupe' space between the cylinder 29 and the screen 19, while any disintegrated articles that may be carried upwardly by t e cylini der 29 are thrown against the plate 25 which,

thrown up downward on tosai cylinder 29.

The bottom of the easing 40 is of'ho per shape and is designated by 47 and lea s to an( communicates with the interior of the casing 4S in which the screw-conveyer 49 is mounted, the shaft of said screw-conveyer bein suitably su ported and constituting the igower shaft ol) the endless elevator 50H situated in a housing as 51. The meal fallhopper bottom 47 and is irected thercbyl into the casing 48 being advanced. along the latter by the screw L19 into the casing 51 up which it is advanced by the elevator' 50 for delivery 'therefrom by a chute as 52 into suitable receptacles.

On the shaft to which the pulley 45 is connected is fastened a pulley connected b a cross-belt53 with the pulley 54 fastene to the counteishaft 55 mounted suitably upon the elevator casing 51. The shaft 55 is rovided at its opposite ends `with pulleys each designated by 57 with the upper pulleys 58 on the upper shaft of' said elevator. f Such i mechanism constitutes'a simple means for driving the elevator'. i

What I ciaimis: '-f

1. ln a mill ofthe classV described, the combination of ,f rindinggr mechanism for initiallyl 'grinding lthe stock, a rotary disinte-l clined apron leading from said grinding,r niechanlsm to said screen for delivering the partially ground material or fragments of stock from said grinding mechanism onto said screen, the screen extending 'partially around said cylinder from said apron to a point subi cylinder, the latter and the screen .si-Nini conjointly to break up the material on sani screen into pieces whicln when sufficiently reduced, drop through the f }:enii' ;s in said screen.

2Q In a machine of the dass described. :t disintct-ffratingr cylinder, a screen paitially surroundingr the sainc,' two sectional incinbers .at opposite sides of the disintegrating cylinder` provided with curved flanges overlapped by the lateral portions'of thc screen, a hi-1r connected with one end of the screen, said members being slot-ted to detachabiy receive said bar, and means connected with the other end of the screen and cooperating with said bar to hold the screen in p ace.

In an alfalfa reducing machine, the combination with an initial grinding' mechanism. comprising an intercurrent toothed cylinder and toothed imperforate concave, of a 'seconder disintegratmg mechanism receiving there rom and comprising a cylinder provided with square singularly set teeth inclosing said cylin er so as to leave a receivlng-opening upon one side'and ,operating to retain the stock unt-il sufficiently reduced to pass throughfthe screen.'

4.v In an alfalfa reducing machine, the combination with anv initial grinding' mechanism comprising anfintcrcurrent toothed.

cylinder and toothed imperforate concave, of a secondary disintegrating*mechanism receiving therefrom .and comprising a cylinder provided with disintegrating teeth,

each tooth having a square body and also having a ribbed ortion squarein cross-section, the ribs of tie latter portion being substantially veshaped', and .a screen inclosirig,r said cylinder so as to leave a receiving opening upon one side'and operating to retain the stock until sufciently reduced to pass through the screen.

5. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with an initial grinding mechanism com rising' an -intercurrent toothevdwf cylinder an( toothed imperforate concave, f

a secondary disintegrating cylinder receiving therefrom and provided with teeth havin y cutting scrrations, and a screen inclosingsai secondaryr disintegrating cylinder and positioncd to receive the partially ground material or fragments of stock from the initial grinding mechanism.

6. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with an initial grinding mechanism comprisingr an intercurrent toothed cylinder and .toothed imperforate concave, of a secondary disintegrating mechanism receiving from the f 'i'inding mechanism and comprising a c rd provided with teeth having cutting serrations and a screen partially surrounding the said cylinder and open adjacent to the grinding mechanism to restantially at the top of said disintegrating ceivcthe partiallyv ground material or frag-V ments of stwn 1mm the lattlervmechanism, the dlsl'utefgratmg Cylmder bemg rota'ted and with the screen servlng'to break yup the Il r'ny hand iripl'esenca of two subs'cribingjwimaterial on said screen into 4pieces. which, I

ness'es:

5t when S'ucieutly reduced, })zzsstl11( \1gh the 'itnsses:

npexuugs 1u Saul'screen.- LOGAN,

`h1 tnstmmny whereof I hfwe hereunto set- U. J. HILLEBRANDT LEWIS wvfTHolwgPsoN.; 

